mini MAGlite LED 2AA or Fenix E21
- Thread starter Knife
- Start date
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Welcome knife!
I have a minimag 3W. It's a nice light for indoor (if you change to UCL lens and use RCR batteries).
The E21 is waaaaay better. For indoor and outdoor.
Two modes of output:
If money is not your problem, go E21! :thumbsup:
I have a minimag 3W. It's a nice light for indoor (if you change to UCL lens and use RCR batteries).
The E21 is waaaaay better. For indoor and outdoor.
Two modes of output:
- High: 150 lumens, 2 hours 15 minutes
- Low: 48 lumens, 11 hours
If money is not your problem, go E21! :thumbsup:
Mini Maglite 2 AA has the size of a light using THREE AA Batteries!
--> therefore OUT!
... for a light that has been said "to come this season" for FOUR years (thats what I have been personnaly told by representative here), they simply did not make their homework!
These are all construction "faults" built into the AA models, that were "common" for the 1st high power (Luxeon) Led-lights,
but these were mainly homemade and Garage-shop lights, while a big company, needing FOUR years to bring their models out without revising the 1st ways of building, is just lame.
At least they "succeded" in changing some measurements, so that aftermarket parts no longer fit their "premium" lights
(but that longer tail f.e. adds unnecessary length, making these lights too long)
... just single mode;
... still prone to turning itself on when pocketed
--> sowas von OUT
Get ANY other 2*AA light instead
--> therefore OUT!
... for a light that has been said "to come this season" for FOUR years (thats what I have been personnaly told by representative here), they simply did not make their homework!
These are all construction "faults" built into the AA models, that were "common" for the 1st high power (Luxeon) Led-lights,
but these were mainly homemade and Garage-shop lights, while a big company, needing FOUR years to bring their models out without revising the 1st ways of building, is just lame.
At least they "succeded" in changing some measurements, so that aftermarket parts no longer fit their "premium" lights
(but that longer tail f.e. adds unnecessary length, making these lights too long)
... just single mode;
... still prone to turning itself on when pocketed
--> sowas von OUT
Get ANY other 2*AA light instead
kj2
Flashaholic
go for the Fenix
srfreddy
Enlightened
The fenix owns it in every possible field, and is built like a tank.
mggm
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
- Messages
- 15
As mentioned before, fenix is the way to go!
The Freeholder
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2011
- Messages
- 9
I own both. Definitely go with the Fenix.
Robin24k
Flashlight Enthusiast
Here's another point of view: when it comes to raw performance, it's hands down to the Fenix E21. However, there's much more to a flashlight than just lumens, especially when considering it to be an illumination tool, rather than a toy or hobby.
The Maglite 2AA has a longer runtime on high than the Fenix E21 on low, that's 69 lumens for 18 hours from the Maglite and 48 lumens from the E21 for 11 hours, and the 25% low mode on the Maglite will give you 17 lumens for 31 hours. In addition, the Maglite makes a great emergency light because with the candle mode, you can unscrew the head and place the light in the head to use as an area light.
Finally, the Maglite has a lifetime warranty and is assembled in the US, so if anything happens (including battery leakage, they have agreements with the major battery manufacturers to provide service), you can send it back to Maglite in Ontario, CA for repair or replacement. With the Fenix, it's a 2-year warranty and you have to send it back to China. Two years is pretty short for any well-built tool, plus, it will need to be sent internationally for service.
I own several Maglite 2AA LED's, and I've given several away as gifts. Its ease of use and peace-of-mind from the lifetime warranty makes me not hesitate to recommend.
The Maglite 2AA has a longer runtime on high than the Fenix E21 on low, that's 69 lumens for 18 hours from the Maglite and 48 lumens from the E21 for 11 hours, and the 25% low mode on the Maglite will give you 17 lumens for 31 hours. In addition, the Maglite makes a great emergency light because with the candle mode, you can unscrew the head and place the light in the head to use as an area light.
Finally, the Maglite has a lifetime warranty and is assembled in the US, so if anything happens (including battery leakage, they have agreements with the major battery manufacturers to provide service), you can send it back to Maglite in Ontario, CA for repair or replacement. With the Fenix, it's a 2-year warranty and you have to send it back to China. Two years is pretty short for any well-built tool, plus, it will need to be sent internationally for service.
I own several Maglite 2AA LED's, and I've given several away as gifts. Its ease of use and peace-of-mind from the lifetime warranty makes me not hesitate to recommend.
srfreddy
Enlightened
THere's another point of view: when it comes to raw performance, it's hands down to the Fenix E21. However, there's much more to a flashlight than just lumens, especially when considering it to be an illumination tool, rather than a toy or hobby.
The Maglite 2AA has a longer runtime on high than the Fenix E21 on low, that's 69 lumens for 18 hours from the Maglite and 48 lumens from the E21 for 11 hours, and the 25% low mode on the Maglite will give you 17 lumens for 31 hours. In addition, the Maglite makes a great emergency light because with the candle mode, you can unscrew the head and place the light in the head to use as an area light.
Finally, the Maglite has a lifetime warranty and is assembled in the US, so if anything happens (including battery leakage, they have agreements with the major battery manufacturers to provide service), you can send it back to Maglite in Ontario, CA for repair or replacement. With the Fenix, it's a 2-year warranty and you have to send it back to China. Two years is pretty short for any well-built tool, plus, it will need to be sent internationally for service.
I own several Maglite 2AA LED's, and I've given several away as gifts. Its ease of use and peace-of-mind from the lifetime warranty makes me not hesitate to recommend.
I trust the Fenix not to fail-I've had both my mini-maglite 2aa's fail and not bothered to send them back to ontario. The overall "feel" of the fenix is better-clicky switch, glass lens, hard anodization.... metal reflector... and Ceiling bounce illuminates without blinding yourself like a maglite.
Robin24k
Flashlight Enthusiast
Which generation? Earlier models without the lanyard hole in the tailcap were prone to having connectivity issues, but the latest generation is well-built and more robust.
srfreddy
Enlightened
Both- the tailcap was part of the issue, but not the only one. After I fixed that, I realized the pill thingy was dead in both of mine, and the dome had come off both of my rebels in candle mode.
Yes, Chinese lights such as Fenix feel well engineered, whereas the Maglite is okay, but somewhat crude in comparison, with a plastic lens, and coarse threads. The Fenix figures are ANSI FL1. The Maglite might claim 69 lumens for 18 hours, but I suspect that is emitter lumens, and what does the 18 hours mean? What batteries are those figured tested with? It makes a big difference. I don't know what the recent Maglite is like, but my Maglite 2AA LED has a horrible horrible beam, and the focus is a joke. And if a light fails, you send it back to the seller, and it is replaced. You don't send it back to China. How many lights fail in use? Very few is my guess. Problems would normally be apparent straight away, in which case the seller handles the return. And if it does fail in use it is usually user error e.g. inserting batteries the wrong way round. To be fair the Maglite is decent for the price despite the awful beam, but the Fenix is better. If you need low and long runtimes, then a Quarl Mini 2AA might be good, and I am sure there must be other choices too.
By the way OP, do use NiMH cells, preferably LSD, if you can. You save money, save waste AND they are unlikely to leak, unlike alkalines.
Robin24k
Flashlight Enthusiast
I actually prefer plastic windows, as they are unbreakable (if they have an anti-scratch coating, even better). If you want glass, you can easily swap it out. I have an XL100 with a glass window, and I am much more worried about dropping it than my XL50, which has the stock plastic.
Maglite specs are all ANSI FL1 with alkaline batteries, so it's OTF until 10%.
Sellers never handle warranty issues. Dealers might, but chances are, they will send it back for you. It's a manufacturer warranty, so it's an agreement between the manufacturer and the consumer.
Incandescents are much more reliable in that sense, but electronics don't last forever. Generally, issues because of quality control or manufacturing defects don't show up for a while. A good example of this is consumer laptops, which come with a standard one-year warranty (sometimes shorter) where it's quite interesting how most issues occur right after the warranty expires.
Flashlights should be built to last, and the gripe I have with short warranties is that the manufacturer clearly doesn't have much confidence in their product, which is why I insist on lifetime warranties.
The beam is indeed awful in beamshots, but it really doesn't affect practical use (other than on white walls, where can you see beam artifacts?).
srfreddy
Enlightened
The beam was awful indoors-patches of dark spots and bright "mini-aspheric" rebel projections from the scratched up lens and crappy reflector. Glass is pretty much unbreakable in normal lights-I've smashed them hard enough. Plastic gets craptastic from using a cloth to wipe it.
Robin24k
Flashlight Enthusiast
Really? I broke one putting the reflector back in place, so I've been quite cautious since...but yes, plastic scratches too easily. After seeing Streamlight's anti-scratch plastic windows, I think that's actually a pretty good solution to this problem...unbreakable and unscratchable.
Thanks for advice friends
I have budget of 50$ and I thinking buy even LD20.
I need flashlight like all purposes outdoor and indoor, I ride MTB biking and for mountaineering, like EDC, and everything else
I want to have a reliable flashlight for long time
I have budget of 50$ and I thinking buy even LD20.
I need flashlight like all purposes outdoor and indoor, I ride MTB biking and for mountaineering, like EDC, and everything else
I want to have a reliable flashlight for long time
AaronG
Enlightened
+1 Fenix
I've owned mag and Fenix. After owning a Fenix I don't see myself buying another Mag
I've owned mag and Fenix. After owning a Fenix I don't see myself buying another Mag
sethistruckin
Newly Enlightened
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2009
- Messages
- 89
With these thoughts, I would recommend the Fenix LD25. It has some excellent all around modes and it is built well and the pricepoint is right at $50. Some other good lights I would consider if I were you would be.
Quark AA Tactical (around $55): Great all around light using 1AA battery, very durable and excellent quality
4Sevens/Quark Preon 2 (around $43): Great for EDC, very floody light but uses 2 AAA so less runtime on high. However, it is extremely compact
I own one of the MagLite 2aa LED lights and it is also very useful. I think it is a perfectly good light with multiple modes and it is built very well. However, compared to the above lights it will be much less impressive as far as total light output and a clean looking beam of light.
